How much does a mini fridge costs?

The purchase cost of a mini fridge ranges from as low as $45 to more than $1000 depending on different factors.

The cooling mechanism, size and quality of construction are some of the factors that affect the price of a mini fridge. The operating costs of mini fridges are very different.

According to consumer tests carried out by Consumer Reports, some mini fridges use as much electricity as standard refrigerators while others use more energy. The lack of external condenser and fan to dissipate in desktop fridges means that they are more sensitive to temperature. As such, they tend to use more energy if placed in warm rooms.

Quick things to know about dorm refrigerator

INFOGRAPHICS showing different university rules for dorm refrigerator

For Dorm refrigerators- If you are planning to purchase a mini fridge for your dorm room, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the school rules in regard to the issue. Most universities and colleges have a limitation of 5 cubic feet refrigerator capacity. There are some that don’t have restrictions and others that completely ban refrigerators from dorm rooms. Some campuses also offer a free compact refrigerator/microwave unit in every dorm room. Also, there is a limit for the power consumption of your refrigerators. So, consider all of these factors when buying.

Now that you know the quick info, lets gets started with best mini fridges in 2018.

Danby DAR033A1BBUD2 BUDWEISER- Well-designed freezerless refrigerator

Danby Budweiser has an interior refrigerator with the capacity of 3.3 cubic feet. This model is also available in for as low as- 1.4 cubic feet and as high as- 4.4 cubic feet.

A good-quality mini fridge will generously cost you from $200-400. However, Budweiser is available for less than $150. This budget is perfect; especially when compared to the additional features.

Worktop of this small refrigerators has an additional safety layer for making it scratch proof. LED is embedded in the centermost part instead of the sidewall of refrigerator ceiling. This arrangement of LED helps maintain the brightness with lesser energy consumption. It can hold 52 beer cans and two beer bottles and has a reversible door, so you could decide which way your door swings.

Only thing that’s missing is the freezer box. It does chill beers, but don’t expect too much as cooling is limited. It would be a perfect choice if you love English beer. Nevertheless, it might not be the best for extreme chilling purpose.

Interior shelves are made of stainless steel and not of glass, meaning you can put bulky weighing items. You can re-adjust the compartment space of this mini fridge as the shelves are adjustable.

Well-equipped fridge door for carrying 14 cans and 2 bottles in one go.

Scratch proof layer is supported with multicolored design

Cons:

Light source is absent in 3.2 cubic feet model of this brand

Midea WhS-65LB1- Best Budget Unit for dorm and bedroom

WHS 65LB1 is a stainless steel finish with a space-friendly interior refrigerator compartment. Door space is well managed for putting bottles and cans. This mini fridge is best for those who are looking for an inexpensive mini fridge with active cooling. However, freezer cools a bit lower than other models. It might not be a good option if you are thinking to make ice cubes.

WHS 65LB1 has adjustable legs and reversible door. Talking about the working, you might notice a bit of humming sound during the time of excessive cooling (which is normal). While it’s a cheap dorm fridge, you do need to miss out on door lock

I recommend this refrigerator for those who want to chill drinks or store food items. Mechanical temperature adjustment offers a good range, you can alter the temperature to as low as -2 degree Celsius making your drinks to chill fast. There are fewer-to-no issues with this model and there is a one year warranty, so you don’t need to be skeptical about this unit.

dual side door opening makes it easier to put the refrigerator anywhere.

Refrigerator compartment is well-organised for storing food items.

Cons:

Freezer output is limited, i.e. not good for making ice cubes

Igloo FR326M-D-BLACK Erase Board- Best Small Home Refrigerator

Texas-based Igloo is known for creating different refrigerators with fancy features.

Igloo FR326M has a writable front door with dry erase board. Best thing about dry erase boards is that they are easy to clean and remains usable for years. You can use the front board for writing messages, dropping quick notes, drawing a cartoon, or listing essential items to bring from the supermarket.

This Igloo refrigerator is UL certified (safe to use) and has a cord of around 5 ft. The adjustable thermostat helps maintain an optimum fridge temperature. It can efficiently create ice cubes, and the refrigerator's back area does not generate too much noise (but yes, it does generate some decibels).

With a reversible door, put this exquisite mini fridge on either side of the table and it will open without colliding with your furniture. IGLOO FR326M is available in black and white color as well. Talking about the compressor, it does the cooling job effectively. This refrigerator came out in 2013, but is still popular in 2018.

This fridge is not a good option for dorm, bedroom or office (because of the noise), however, it’s a fine choice for kitchen, thanks to its efficient compressor system.

Chefman compact mini fridge- Best Multi-Purpose Personal Refrigerator

Chefman is a good personal fridge for keeping your cans cold, however, if you are buying it for storing breast milk, you might be disappointed as the cooling is limited. I was confused between Uber Chill and Chefman, but latter won the battle in nick of time. It is an ideal mini fridge with portability that allows you to use it anywhere from home to office. Chefman is the #3 best selling mini fridge on Amazon.

Chefman refrigerator could carry six 12 oz. soda cans in one go, so you could get instant access to child drinks. It can be used for storing quick snacks, drinks and medicines. You can literally use it anywhere, i.e. in home, dorm, office, travel, rec room or camping.

This mini fridge is compatible with both the AC and DC, and could be easily connected to your car plug. Interior part of the Chefman refrigerator contains removable shelf making it customizable and cool.

While you can use it for both cooling and heating purpose, heating is more efficient in this unit as compared to other desktop fridges. Chefman is a freon-free cooler, which makes it safe to be used in outdoor area. This personal mini fridge also offers you with a one year warranty and additional Chefman-club recipes.

Bottom line-You can get this 0.14 cubic feet mini fridge if you want a low-budget personal refrigerator that can just cool drinks (not make it chilled) and store snacks. But if you want a mini fridge that is really cold and provides high chilling; you might want to skip this one

I have already mentioned the 4.4 cu ft version of this model. That said, Danby designer is specifically designed for dorm rooms.

Danby designer dorm fridge is a budget friendly product with good quality design. There is no door lock on this unit but, you can always get an additional refrigerator door lock for that. However, if door lock is one of the features you don't want to miss, go for Danby DAR044A6PDB unit instead.

Danby designer is available in multiple sizes, but 2.6 cu ft is the optimum for dorm rooms. DAR026A1BDD has 8-can holders integrated in the door. With around 253kwh yearly energy consumption, it would be good for those looking for compact fridges that charges low electricity bill.

DAR026A1BDD-3 is a compressor refrigerator, which ensures powerful cooling and low power consumption. It is energy star rated, which by the way, is essential for refrigerators. There is a holder with 2-cans-capacity above the bottle storage in the door. So, you can in total store 10 cans in this dorm refrigerator. Worktop is scratch resistant and shelves are adjustable. There is a good amount of extra space below the lowest shelf for storing fruits.

Daewoo Retro FR044RCNM - Most elegant compact refrigerator

Daewoo retro mini fridge is one of a kind, the robust features, and elegant aesthetic just wins the game. Mint green color Daewoo refrigerator is a vintage-inspired aesthetic design with a spacious interior. It’s a duo of retro-styled look with standardized and practical features that will provide an all-around kitchen solution. You can just go for this mini fridge if your budget is generous.

Unlike other mini fridges, temperature control is more swift and precise via soft dial, which is why it offers quick cooling.

There are three different door bins. The first is a mutli-keeper (name of the storage bin) with transparent covering shelf. The upper part of this shelf is wired for putting canned food.

The next bin is for keeping bottles. Third bin is designed for storing chocolate and protein bars.

Full width freezer compartment has great cooling power. The shelf is adjustable providing you with more interior space. Fresh keeper drawer can be used for storing food and vegetables.

The CFC-free design gives you access to every part of the mini fridge interior. The exterior is made with state of the art high-quality metal. About the lifeline of Daewoo fridge, I found negligible complaints about the cooling system.

If you would love to spend a one-time buck for an elegant looking table-top refrigerator with robust features, then Daewoo FR044RCNM is for you.

Keystone KSTRC312CB- Best Mini Fridge for Office Use

Keystone KSTRC312CB is a simplistic mini fridge for kitchen, office and dorm rooms. The interior customization is great; there is door storage in the top mount freezer area in addition to lower area space for bottles and cans. The lower storage of the door has wiring to keep the stored items sturdy. You could put multiple cans in the front door space and still have space to place the bottles in it.

Fruits and veggie crisper drawer is a great addition to this small refrigerator. The overall cooling is powerful, but freezer needs to be set at its maximum power for freezing effectively.

Front door is reversible and the thermostat is adjustable, but the working isn’t quiet, you could notice white noise when set to work on maximum power. This top-mount refrigerator is integrated with LED light; nevertheless, the unit still has low power consumption, thanks to the energy star rating.

Cooluli mini fridge is undoubtedly the best personal refrigerator for desktop users, travel enthusiasts and camping lovers, dorm students and of course, home.

It shows swift working in both the cooling as well as heating. Unlike, other personal fridge, it will actually chill your cans. On the other hand, it rapidly changes from cooling to heating mode; makes it good for crisping chips.

The shelf is removable, so you can either store a sandwich on the lower area and drinks on the upper, or just remove the wire shelf and put up-to-6 beverage cans.

Cooluli is a portable, light-weight mini fridge of around 4 pounds, so its good for outdoor use. This refrigerator has a thermoelectric system which works without Freon meaning it environment friendly (and the system doesn’t through-away extensive heat from the back area).

Simply put, Cooluli mini fridge is made for keeping beverages and other groceries cold during your trip, or chilling the cans in office.

Marshall amp fridge is popular mainly because of the design and performance. Marshall 4.4 mini fridge is embedded with authentic logo and knobs to give you a feel of legendary JCM800 head while chilling your drinks.

It has adjustable tempered glass shelf for ensuring longer shelf-lifeline. Low decibel compressor ensures the quite working (one of the main reason for why I added it on my best mini fridges list).

Amazingly spacious marshal compact fridge can cool up to 124-liter beverages without any cooling problem- it’s cooling system is reliable and optimum. You can put the beer bottles, and it will chill within few minutes. Interestingly, the freezer of this mini fridge is much more potent than other mini fridges and boasts efficient freezing.

Marshall mini fridge is available in 3.3 and 4.4 cubic feet model. The 4.4 models is more spacious and can carry 36 small cans, 18 large cans, 28 beer bottles and 8 wine bottles. Amplifiers of this bar fridge aren't real but, they do offer an authentic look to the fridge and it’s surely a treat for the music lovers.

Both the part of marshall mini fridge, i.e. refrigerator and freezer are temperature adjustable and their doors are reversible. If you are a guitarist, then you will definitely love this bar fridge.

Haier HCR17W- Simplistic Fridge For Dorms and Small Offices

Haier HCR17W is an old, simple yet good quality dorm fridge.

This mini fridge has full-width removable wire shelf, but the lower part is already spacious, so you might not need to slide it out.

Cooling system is efficient and you can precisely change temperature via the adjustable thermostat. Front door is provided with adequate storage space. Half width freezer compartment can be used for storing ice cube. It’s a simple, budget-friendly dorm fridge and you won’t get an integrated key lock on this unit.

Again, if door lock is your main concern, go for Edgestar CRF150SS fridge/freezer convertible refrigerator. It is has door lock, but the capacity 1.1 cubic feet (which is 1.7 cubic feet in haier HCR17W) and no additional door storage.

Getting back to the haier mini fridge review, the entire structure is designed such that you will have more space than other mini fridges of the same capacity. For instance, the back is flat, and freezer is made half-width for storing ice cream bars.

Additional suggestion (for those who want to buy a beverage fridge)

NewAir AB850- High performance Small Beverage Cooler

NewAir AB-850 is a perfect choice, if you are looking for a small beverage refrigerator. AB850 has a carrying capacity of 84 cans (you can get the higher end model with 126 cans for extra capacity). There is cooling temperature of 1.15 degree Celsius at its best- for effective chilling. Design is sleek, so you can put it anywhere in your home.

This freestanding mini fridge has 5 removable chrome racks allowing you to add both the bottles as well as beer cans. The uppermost part contains slim rack for ensuring proper space usage. That said, the cooling system do makes some sound at times. Energy efficient LED is present.

Personal Reviews from real users

Cooluli Mini fridge

I've been keeping this cooluli mini "fridge" on my make-up vanity table to store my skincare products. I love how it is so compact & quiet. The best part is that I can easily travel with this product, as it is portable and comes with a USB port & DC adapter. It also has an option to keep your items either cool or warm!- Cathy

Magic chef retro mini fridge

When I first saw the retro-style, mint-colored Magic-Chef mini fridge (4.4 cu. ft), I knew It’d be a perfect fit for my workspace. When it proved perfectly useful in storing cool beverages and light snacks, it exceeded expectations. Everything stays wonderfully chilled. There was a learning curve involved, retraining myself to not use as much force closing the door as my standard fridge. Too much force makes the door pop open just a bit. It is easy to defrost, which is necessary every now and again. The Magic Chef Mini Fridge has been a surprising asset to my workspace, and has enabled me to stay hydrated and make better food choices while snacking! - Melanie Collette

(This mini fridge is currently unavailable on Amazon, but you can find it on HomeDepot, or on a nearby store).

10 Things to look for when buying a mini fridge-

How to decide the best mini fridge to buy?

If you have researched enough you must know the consideration to take into account when looking for the best small refrigerator. You need to look for portability, dimensions, cooling and carrying capacity. Here are some of the generous tips to help you buy it online.

Select a budget

Find out the purpose of buying your refrigerator and your budget. For instance, if you are buying a fridge for just cooling drinks $500 wouldn’t be worth spending.

If you directly enter the refrigerator marketplace without deciding your budget, you will certainly end up perplexed about your buying decision, in that case, you will just keep increasing some bucks for superior features, but there ain’t any ending to this. Instead of this, calculate your savings and budget standard and adhere to it.

Check your Space

Know the dimensions of your refrigerator including the width, length and depth. If you are looking for a table-top fridge, dimensions won’t be necessary. Nevertheless, it’s important to take the measurements when you already have a cabinet to put it in.

Always choose a brand

Most of the problems including a unorganized interior, noisy compressor or slower cooling are already managed when you go for a bigger brand. Selecting a reputable brand refrigerator is a smart move that will save you from a lot of hassle.

Also, high-quality brands have increased resale value which means you can get the most bangs for your buck! Here are some of the most reputable brands for buying a small sized refrigerator.

Danby

Midea

Daewoo

Igloo

Haier

And that’s it!

Now that you know about the things to look for you are ready to go buy your own mini refrigerator. There are some good fits listed above to meet your requirements. If you want an elegant piece with a retro design, you can go for Daewoo mini fridge; however, if you always forget the things to bring, you just need an Igloo Erase board mini refrigerator.

Not sure which mini fridge is the best fit for you? let me know in the comment section.

My purpose for creating this site is to help users to- find and select the right refrigerator. I’m an appliance expert (had my own appliance store a while ago). I have so far reviewed best performing small refrigerators, counter fridges and wine coolers as well. I hope my content helped you make a decision. Feel free to get in touch via contact form if you are facing problem in finding the right fridge for you.